”Naked”, in this case, refers to a pizza stripped of processed ingredients.

Pizza is one of those foods I’d never miss if it suddenly disappeared. In New York City, I’m singularly unimpressed by the thick, doughy, overly cheesy, greasy orange glop that often passes for “pizza”— a gateway to indigestion, bloating and gas for the gluttonous. And, yes, I know there are designer pizzerias…but—fancy or not—pizza is usually a calorie-loaded cheese, processed meat and starch-carb fest.

So, when I spotted a Naked Pizza flyer peeking underneath my apartment door, I nearly threw it out. But its provocative question caught my eye: “What if pizza were good for you?”

Naked Pizza started as an entrepreneurial venture in post-Katrina (2006) New Orleans. Co-founders Randy Crochet and Jeff Leach shared a passion for healthy eating; it was of particular concern to Leach, whose diabetic daughter also served as an inspiration for the business.

The Manhattan outpost is a compact space—bright, spare and lime-green. I pondered the larger-than-life menu to decide what size pie, type of crust (skinny, original or gluten-free), and toppings I wanted. The staff was enthusiastic and good-natured: they willingly answered all my questions.

Ace Brown, left, and fellow staffer with my pizza...

According to Ace Brown, a friendly staffer, my choice—the “Superbiotic”, a vegetable medley topping of artichokes, spinach, bell pepper, mushroom, garlic, onion and cilantro, is the runaway bestseller. Not surprisingly, the “Smokehouse” (hickory-smoked bbq sauce, onion and chicken) and Ragin’ Cajun (sausage, chicken, garlic, bell pepper and onion) were the next most popular sellers—NYC is a meat-obsessed town, after all.

I headed home with a 10-inch, skinny crust “Superbiotic” pie, fresh out of the oven

“Pizza??!!” my husband asked, his mouth agape, when I opened my box for the big reveal.

The "Superbiotic" on 10-grain crust

What we liked:

♥ A whole grain crust that was tasty, thin and slightly (not overly) crisp, with a hint of nuttiness.